Turnsky Talks 'Cubi.

[Turnsky]

Sit down around the fireplace, children, ol' Turnsky has a story to tell.  

Now, i know i've said here and there that Ariannia's Cubi weren't like DMFA's, and explained this much in the racial bio on the site, and i know that folks have been fairly intelligent in this regard, yet the question still nags me in the back of my mind, "but didn't you copy them to a degree from DMFA?". The answer is, aesthetically, yes, but only that far, i liked the look of DMFA's cubi, and they provided to be a rather nice counterpoint to Ariannia's ever present Thaelith race.
However, there are a fair number of differences.. or coincidences, depending on what Amber's let on so far.

Combat/Magical abilities: Like DMFA's lot, proficient shapeshifters, thought reading, and so on, the main difference is that there aren't any "tri wings" on Ariannia, either it's just not possible, or they haven't figured it out yet, i dunno. That part's up to you rampant theorists out there.  
They're pretty feisty in a combat scenario, but aren't a match one-on-one with a simularly equipped melee fighter, and especially can't hold a candle to a Thaelith in up close combat. Cubi prefer the "first strike" approach, and operate much like Ninja in preferring to avoid combat, but if need be, neutralise the opponent, or strike first in such a fashion the opponent cannot strike back.

Next!

Family Life: Like DMFA's Cubi, they /are/ the proverbial cuckoos of Ariannia differences remain, however.
Sexually, Cubi won't touch Terratti, K'Daffen (a tribal 'Taurian species), Sandraniss, Scenari, or S'rel with a forty foot barge pole.
Thaelith are Strictly Taboo under pain of exile or death.. (death is the preferable option for some, trust me, "exile" for ariannian Cubi is being buried alive)
and just so you know, the reverse is also true under Thaelith laws.

Now, with Cubi children, it's somewhat interesting, sometimes the Cubi parent raises their child until they come of age, then they go off with the rest of their clan/house to "learn the trade" whether the parent is still alive by then is up in the air, sometimes they just "mysteriously vanish" in the night.. Sometimes the noncubi parent is taken as well, provided they don't put up a stink about it, there's perks in it for them, sometimes.
or the Cubi child is raised from birth in with their own kind, so it's not unusual to see young cubi children running about with clanmates or even interacting with other clans.

Next!

The infamous "Tattoo". Now, unlike DMFA, the clan mark is not ever present, mainly it's just a sigil representation of what the clan's base philosophies/purposes/etc are. However, many young cubi under house tutelage are branded with a Rune sigil that acts as ID, and prevents them from leaving house grounds without the house head's express permission. (pain is involved, tons of it. - for both the branding and the reprisal)

Next!

Politics:
Hooooo boy, where to begin with this one.. simply put, there is a certain heirarchy to this. i have loosely gone over it before, but i've since added to it, and refined it..

(serving clans directly under their house names)

a Note on the mediators, what they do is keep Shadarca in order, as well as keep the tribunal house members from bickering too much, otherwise their power doesn't extend too far from Shadarca.

Next!

Shadarca:
this one's all me, baby.. sort of like SAIA, but not, the house enclaves can be similar, but Shadarca is neutral territory for all Cubi, and most of the house's serving clans, and independant clans, etc live there, Precided over by House Madowrahss, whom have no serving clans themselves, they keep the place in order, as well as perform other civic duties in a broad range of ways. As mentioned before they also help mediate the tribunal meetings in order to make sure each gets their fair share of time on the proverbial soapbox.

and that is all.

[Kabbalist]

This is just the kind of interesting background and world-building that I love seeing, Turnsky. I know it's hard to work this kind of exposition into a comic without it feeling forced, but for me this information adds to the richness of the cultures and individuals involved. Naturally, I've also enjoyed going through the character bios and racial information on your website. Then again, I'm one of those patiently nerdy fellows that likes getting into characters' heads to see what their motivations are, and to really get a feeling for what makes someone tick it's very helpful to have that kind of cultural and anthropological perspective.

[Keleth]

I just got nothing really deep or thoughtful to say. I hit my quota for the month already.